Goodbye
by fictionfandomaniac
Summary: Isabelle Lightwood has everything she could ever want. That is, until newly-ascended Simon gets sent away to the London Institute to train. At first everything is fine, but then Simon's letters stop coming. It's terrible irony, isn't it? That she, heartbreaker extraordinaire, gets left behind.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters! They belong to Cassandra Clare**

-Simon-

"I hereby swear:

I will be Raziel's sword, extending his arm to strike down evil,

I will be Raziel's Cup, offering my blood to our mission,

I will be Raziel's mirror; when my enemies behold me, let them see his face in mine."

Jia looked at him expectantly. Her scarlet robes were the color of blood under the light.

Blood. Even though he was no longer a vampire, the thought of it still made his mouth water. His memories were returning to him, slowly, fuzzy outlines of what had been. Simon remembered the feeling of his teeth sinking into a neck, followed by intoxicating taste of blood. he remembered Izzy, her blood sweeter than anybody else's…

"Well?"

Jia's sharp voice shook Simon out of his memories.

For a panicked second, he couldn't remember the rest of the oath. If he forgot it now, he wouldn't become a Shadowhunter. Then he saw Isabelle's face before him, calmly reading it out to him. She smiled at him, and he knew that she trusted him completely, that she knew that he could do this. And just like that, he remembered.

"I hereby promise:

I will serve the angel's courage,

I will serve the angel's justice

And I will serve the angel's mercy.

Until such time as I shall die, I will be Nephilim. I pledge myself in Covenant as a Nephilim, and I pledge my life and my family to the Clave of Idris."

"Then drink."

Simon's hands trembled slightly as Jia handed him the Mortal Cup. He knew this was the dangerous part of the ritual. He knew that if he was unworthy, it would kill him. And, somehow, he knew that he would survive.

He brought the cup to his lips.

A cold, blue-white light rose up to surround him, or more specifically, him and Jia. For a second, he thought he saw a smile flicker in the corner of her lips. Then the light died down, and her face resumed its usual stone-like expression.

"You are a Nephilim now." Jia's voice echoed across the Council room. "I name you Simon Nighthawk, of the blood of Jonathan Shadowhunter, child of the Nephilim. Arise, Simon.


	2. Chapter 2

-Isabelle-

_Nighthawk._

She remembered helping him choose it, looking through hundreds upon hundreds of names. She hadn't told anybody, but there was one name on the list that she had recognized. _Starkweather._

Isabelle had tried to hate Hodge after he had stolen the Mortal Cup and betrayed them she hadn't been able. Because every time she pictured him, she saw the kind, although somewhat irritated, smile on his lips when he'd tried to teach her Latin, or History, or Botany. She heard his voice when he'd lectured her or reprimanded her. This was _Hodge_. He couldn't be evil.

And when she had seen his family name on the list, it had almost been too much. To know that an ancient Shadowhunter family could be wiped out in the sliver of a second it had taken Hodge to die. And the knowledge that someday, the name Lightwood would be on that list. That they would be forgotten, added on to the endless list of discarded names.

Isabelle shook her head. Way too many dark thoughts on a day like this. This was Simon's day. The day he would finally become a Shadowhunter. One of them.

Raising her head, she looked out over the crowd. A lot of people she knew, and a few she didn't. She saw Clary's mass of red curls, and Magnus glittery spikes. they were all her to witness Simon's ascension.

"Quite a crowd, isn't it?"

Isabelle turned around, and saw the boy who had once been Brother Zachariah smiling at a girl with long brown hair. Tessa,that's what clary had called her. Tessa Gray.

"Oh yes," Tessa said. "But the ceremony is very different from when Sophie ascended."

The boy sighed. "I would have given anything to be there for that. What was that name she chose? Ashgown?"

Tessa laughed. "Ashgown? That's a terrible name! No, it was Ashdown, but she only kept it

for a couple of months."

"Why ever- Ah. Gideon."

"Of course. And I must say, the name Lightwood suited her better."

Isabelle stared. Sophie Lightwood? That was the name of her great-great-grandmother's-aunt-something-or-other. Also, incidentally, one of her namesakes.


	3. Chapter 3

-Simon-

The first thing that happened after he became a Shadowhunter, a warrior of heaven? Shopping.

"Remind me again why I have to do this?" Simon sighed, stroking his finger over the surface of one of the countless mirrors who had somehow been manouvered into the tiny boutique.

"Because you're my best friend and you love me," Clary answered matter-of-factly, as she examined a light blue sundress. "Besides, I need your help. Izzy's party is tomorrow, and I haven't even decided what to give her yet."

Simon groaned. "Don't remind me. I've been trying not to think about it for the past four days."

"Well that has to stop now. She's your _girlfriend_, Simon. You can't just show up without a present."

"Well, she isn't exactly my girlfriend-" Simon began, but Clary interrupted him.

"By the angel Simon, are you really gonna do that thing again? And just when I thought you guys had DTRed, but no, you keep on talking about how "you haven't talked about dating _exclusively"."_

Clary was making air-quotes with her fingers, and even though Simon wasn't in love with her anymore, he found it kind of adorable.

"She's your girlfriend Simon, face it."

"Okay, fine, whatever, let's just get back to that dress or whatever you were looking at."

"Oh no," Clary glared at him. "Don't change the subject. We are not leaving this shop until you have bought something for Isabelle."

"Fine," Simon reached out and grabbed something from the nearest hanger. "I'm getting her this. Happy?"

For a few seconds Clary simply stared at what he was holding. Then she burst out laughing.

"Yes, give her that. But I can't promise Alec won't kill you."

For the first time, Simon saw what he was holding. It was very pink. And very lacey. And it was lingerie. And it was practically _see-through_.

Blushing like crazy, he practically threw it back, earning himself another laugh from Clary.

"Are you sure you're not gonna buy it? I thought it looked kind of cute."

If possible, he blushed even more. "_Yes, _Clary. Now can we please leave?"

-Isabelle-

"Thank you, it's… it's different." Isabelle held up the absolutely awful dress she had gotten from Simon. Not only was it bright green, the kind of bright green _nobody_ wore, it it also had a pattern of yellow daisies down the front.

"At least it isn't what he was going to buy you," Clary smirked. "That would probably have given Alec a heart-attack."

"Now I'm interested," Isabelle smiled coyly at Simon, who appeared to have acquired a sudden fascination of the floor. "maybe you could show me tonight…"

"Isabelle!" Alec's face had turned bright red. "Don't you dare-"

"Jeez, I'm just kidding. We won't wait that long. Of course we are going to sneak away now."

Alec glared at her, apparently not deeming that answer worth a response.

Laughing, Isabelle reached for another present. She'd been sceptical at first when Clary and Simon had suggested throwing her a birthday party. But it turned out they were really fun, especially when she could make inappropriate jokes with Simon, and watch Alec explode. She wondered what Simon _had_ thought of giving her…

-Simon-

Simon reached for another arrow, and pulled back his bow with..._some_ grace. He'd secretly hoped that now, when he was a Nephilim, he'd be as awesome and badass as the others. But it turned out that he was still nowhere near them.

"Practising?" Isabelle appeared out of nowhere. "_Again?_"

"Well, some of us weren't born with built-in skills," Simon smirked at her. "Us regular mortals have to work for it."

"Mortals? You're a Shadowhunter now-"

"It's a mundane expression Iz, god."

"Not god," she put her arms around him. "By the angel."

And then he was kissing her, or she was kissing him, he wasn't really sure. The only thing that mattered was that it was Isabelle, with her lips against his, and even though he wasn't a vampire anymore, he could almost smell her sweet, sweet blood…

He pressed her against the wall, digging his fingers into her back, and Isabelle let out a small gasp and opened her mouth, and then-

His phone rang. Simon had never hated that sound so much.

"Do you mind if I…" He gestured towards it.

Isabelle shrugged. "Go ahead."

As he walked out of the room, he was pretty sure he heard her mutter. "By the angel, I'm going to burn that thing."

-Isabelle-

As long as she was here, she might as well train. Reaching for a knife, she flicked it towards the target. Bullseye. Of course.

She thought of the strange conversation she had heard earlier at Simon's Ascension. Had those people really known her great-great-whatever. Sophie Lightwood. Her mother's voice echoed in her head. _Isabelle Sophia Lightwood. Sophia, or Sophie, was one of the only people in our family who was once a mundane. But after her Ascension, she was one of the best. She was strong. And I hope you inherit that._

That was one of the things most mothers said, but she knew now that hers had actually meant it. Maryse had known that you needed to be strong, that you could never break down. And Isabelle had tried. She had built up a wall around her, like Jace, but even more subtle. And when she saw that Jace was breaking his down, she held her front even tighter.

But then she had met Simon. The first time she saw him. he had been a mundane. A nobody. And after that, probably because of that. She had let him come closer. Closer than anybody had ever come to her before. And he had broken her walls down. He had allowed her to feel, to show vulnerability. He had taught her trust. And he had taught her real strength.

"Izzy?"

She spun around, and found herself face-to-face with Simon. She started to smile, but then she saw his face. He was pale as a sheet, as he had been when he was a vampire. But he wasn't a vampire now. Something was wrong.

"Simon-" She began, but he interrupted her.

"They're sending me away, Iz. I have to go to the London Institute to train."


	4. Chapter 4

**-Isabelle-**

**"****They can't do this! You're the Head of the Institute, do something! Stop them!"**

**Maryse looked at Isabelle with that sort of pity she hated. "Isabelle, we've been over this. The Consul was ****_very _****clear. The New York Institute doesn't have the qualifications to teach a new-"**

**"****Stop making it sound like something out of a law book!" Isabelle screamed. "This is ****_Simon _****we're talking about here? Remember him? Clary's best friend, my ****_boyfriend_****-"**

**"****Ah yes," her mother's voice was cool. "As you maybe recall, I wasn't too thrilled about that relationship."**

**"****He's a ****_Shadowhunter _****now-"**

**"****An untrained one. Personally, I think sending him away is a good idea. He'll get the education he so sorely needs without being surrounded by distractions-"**

**"****What, like me?"**

**"****And when he comes back, he'll be a good Shadowhunter and worthy of your admiration."**

**Isabelle glared at her. "But sadly, I don't judge my boyfriends solely by their skill in battle."**

**"****Maybe you should."**

**"****What, and end up like you? No thank you!"**

**Maryse let out a gasp. "Isabelle-"**

**But she was already storming out of the room.**

**-Simon-**

**He hated goodbyes. Always had, always would. No matter how cheerful you tried to make it, there was always the unspoken thought in the air. ****_You're leaving. And no-one knows when you're coming back_****.**

**"****I'll miss you so much," Clary whispered, her tiny arms around him. **

**"****Not as much as I'll miss you," Simon looked down at her tear-streaked face. "Besides, you'll still have Jace."**

**She punched his arm. "Don't you dare," She hissed. "Don't you dare say that. Jace may be my boyfriend, but you're my ****_best _****friend. Nothing can ever compare to that."**

**Then Clary hugged him one last time.**

**"****You're sort of lucky, you know."**

**Simon looked up and saw Jace grinning at him, but was an undertone of something else. Sadness, maybe? No, that was impossible. Jace was probably throwing a party on account of him leaving. Simon might even be invited.**

**"****What do you mean?"**

**"****The London Institute has trained some of the very best Shadowhunters through the ages. Except for me, of course. Although they ****_did_****train an ancestor of mine…"**

**"****Lucky me," Simon muttered under his breath.**

**"****He's not lying, Samuel." Magnus appeared out of nowhere. "I happened to know William personally. And be assured, he was just as obnoxious as Jace."**

**Jace opened his mouth to protest, but Clary elbowed him. "Shut it!"**

**"****By the way, the portal's done." Magnus nodded at Simon. "So say your last goodbyes now."**

**As he stepped out of the Institute, Simon's head was filled with the thoughts of all the people he had said goodbye to. And of the one person he hadn't.**

**"****Sneaking away, I see?" Isabelle stepped out from behind an alcove. "And without bidding me farewell? Thou are a cruel man, Lord Montgomery."**

**Despite himself, Simon smiled. "I thought that you had realized by now," he paused to put his arms around her. "That Lord Montgomery cares for no-one but himself."**

**She grinned. "Of course."**

**And then she kissed him. It was a bittersweet kiss, full of memories of their time together. He tasted her salty tears as they ran down her cheeks, and he could feel the sadness and loneliness in the air. This would be their last kiss in a long, long time.**

**"****Goodbye," she whispered.**


End file.
